Chazz sickfic
by lunanoel
Summary: right what it says on the tin (I'm too lazy to come up with a better title)


Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX or the Yugioh series in general

A roar of cheers erupted from the audience of a colorful stage, lights flashing and circling round as the last duel of the national tournament had finally come to a close. When the duel stands lowered to the ground, Chazz walked off stage, hiding a slight stumble in his steps. It wasn't a walk of shame, he'd won afterall, but it was a close match and his head was still reeling from it all. The hallway to his dressing room was thankfully empty, as fans were just barely getting out of their seats, though it still took some time to get there as the walls kept spinning around him. He should've still been in the arena area, participating in PR activities like sitting for the post-victory interview and signing autographs. But Chazz needed a huge dose of caffeine in the next few minutes if he wanted to stay upright.

The smell and warmth of something brewing greeted him when he entered the room, and Aster stood against a wall, sipping from a steaming mug. Chazz let the door shut on its own, wincing at the noise from the excess force as he went to the makeup table and grabbed a remover cloth. Aster turned eyes his shambling protege with a cautious yet neutral expression. "Didn't want to stay for the after-party?"

"Figured I'd let the losers get some screen time" Chazz replied absentmindedly, more focused on throwing away the dirty wipe and stumbling towards the coffee maker. "Makes me seem more valuable."

"Right…" He could feel his manager sizing him up, noting all the little flaws that were just starting to show. From the sickly paleness of his skin to the bags under his eyes that were almost as dark as the eyeshadow he'd put on earlier. Even just trying to get something to drink was proving to be a challenge, as the room around him was swaying slightly and he couldn't get his hands to stop shaking long enough to grip one of the complimentary mugs.

Chazz knew he didn't look or feel as great as he should've, but he was a pretty busy guy these days and he couldn't afford to slack off. It'd been a constant stream of back-to-back duels and PR events, combined with paperwork he'd work on late into the night. He barely had time to grab a bite to eat, much less to sleep more than a couple hours at a time. Chazz loved it though, it kept his wallet full and his mind distracted from some of the more stressful things in his life, namely his brothers or a certain energetic brunette that kept dropping off the face of the earth for months on end...because not knowing where his danger-prone rival was didn't spike up his anxiety levels at all...

"So, what's our next move? Another tournament, maybe?"

"Chazz, the season's over! We've got a while before we need to start prepping for your next official match!" Chazz felt a hand rest on his shoulder, attempting to steady his jittering frame. "I think it might be time you started using your vacation days, you've got a few months piled up now after all."

"I-I can't just quit now! What if someone like Mr. Kaiba decides to throw an off-season tournament or something?"

"Well, Kaiba's off on his honeymoon right now so we don't need to worry about him at least. But if someone else tries something, we'll figure it out…" Aster lead Chazz to the small couch in the dressing room, pressing him to sit. "But to be honest, right now you look…"

"Like crap?"

"Pretty much, yeah. You're also way too hot."

"Thanks, I was born beautiful."

"I meant temperature-wise, smartass. I think you might have a fever." Aster walked away for a moment and returned with a forehead thermometer. Chazz looked back to his manager in confusion.

"Where did you even...?"

"You've kinda been looking worn out for a while, so I decided to be prepared." Aster moved the thermometer onto Chazz's forehead, sighing at the numbers on the screen. "39 degrees celsius, you've definitely got a fever. I'll drive you back to your apartment, and I should get someone to look after you."

"Hey, I can take care of myself!"

"Can you though? Can you guarantee that you won't just go back to work and not take care of yourself?"

"...um…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll see who's available, though your friend pool is pretty small. Maybe I should call your family-"

"NO!" Chazz winced at the sound of his own retalization, it made his head hurt and his vision spun faster. "Y-you don't need to call them, I can take care of myself if you don't find anyone, I promise I…I…"

"Chazz?"

He couldn't find the energy to respond, couldn't even think. Black spots were appearing in his vision and his head was throbbing harder. He blinked, and when his eyes opened again Chazz could feel himself being moved. Shivers racked through him at the change in environment, and he suddenly felt cold and weak.

"I'm gonna help you into the car, alright? You'll be home soon. I've already got-" Chazz couldn't hear the rest of Aster's fast ramblings as he was too distracted with sitting down again. The car's seats were leather, and his manager had seemingly turned the heaters and seat warmers on already as Chazz felt his shaking ease off a bit. Aster got into the driver's side, though now he seemed to be talking with someone on the phone. Their voice went through the car's bluetooth speakers, and while he couldn't really understand what they were talking about, the warm tone sounded familiar. Chazz closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness slip under the heat from the car.


End file.
